Beats vs cycles vs cents

Michael Gamble michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk
Tue, 16 Mar 2004 20:13:55 -0000


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Hello List and Sarah Peace who said (inter alia)
" After all, aural tuning relies on counting beats, and beat rate would =
vary with overall pitch.  However, beats are irrelevant to electronic =
tuning.  I can't really speak from experience, as I only tune =
electronically.  Any thoughts from you aural tuners?"
As an "aural tuner" I don't actually "count" the beats - it's just an =
educated-through-years-of-experience "sensation" or "sixth sense" which =
tells me "that's right! - or wrong!" in relation to the notes about it.
Today, for example, I tuned an old piano "to its own pitch" - a thing I =
often do if cash or virtue are in question.  After extrapolating the =
pitch from the covered Bass strings, I simply set the bearings using my =
own unpatented "quadrant system". It always works - and no EDT is =
required. I think it is really important that all tuners should have a =
working knowledge of how to set the bearings aurally. No examinee should =
pass the exam without proving they are capable of so doing. You never =
know when you're going to run out of power out in the styx with no =
replacement batteries for miles. I am not fazed by such. So all this =
natter about "cents" and "Herz" (don't they rent cars?) is all very =
interesting - so far as it goes - but at the end of the day if you can't =
tune the piano by ear you should not consider yourself truly a =
professional tuner. Technician, possibly. Tuner, no.
BTW my quadrant system may be used in conjunction with an EDT or =
entirely by itself. I use it with an EDT at modified pitch settings over =
the whole piano if I am pitch raising.=20
Regards
Michael G (UK)
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